Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Bob's Red Mill Tour

Naseem is finally home for summer vacation! Instead of letting her sleep in until noon, I dragged her out of bed & encouraged her to join me on a fieldtrip. I didn't tell her where we were going until we were about a mile away. Our final destination: Bob's Red Mill!

I love Bob's Red Mill products! Not only are they good for you, but they are affordable too!

Fun fact: Bob's Red Mill products can be found in 71 countries!

We drove to the Bob's Red Mill World Headquarters for the tour. The tour starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. The tour lasted about an hour & was so interesting!

Fun fact: Flax seed is Bob's number one selling product.

I love educational tours!☺

Not a fake smile: Nas was excited to be there!☺

Fun fact: Bob's gluten free products account for 40% of the company's sales. Bob's has a dedicated GF mill area with special ventilation so the GF products are not contaminated with other 'grain dust.'

Just a few of the hundreds of Bob's products.

This is a super tote. A super tote can hold 2,000 lbs of product. They are only used once so no cross contamination between products can occur. After use, they are sold to farmers or construction sites.

Fun fact: Any particles of grains/seeds that end up on the floor + the hulls from this corn are called 'sweepings.' Sweepings are sold to farmers to use as feed for cattle. Nothing is wasted is wasted at Bob's Red Mill.

Factory floor.

It takes approximately 1.5 hours to clean the machinery between product batches. Bob's Red Mill uses brushes & compressed air for cleaning. Why can't they use water? It would make paste!☺

Furiously taking notes!
There were so many fun facts, I knew I wouldn't remember them all.☺

Our 'grain guide' Brenda.
SUPER NICE LADY!

Super totes.

In 1988, the original Bob's Red Mill was destroyed by arson.
Two mill stones were the only things salvageable from the fire.

Bob Moore & Nas!

The stones BRM uses are French quartz. The stones are sharpened once a year
and it takes 8 hours to do. This is one of two original mill stones.
The stones BRM uses now are much smaller.

After the tour, we drove 1.3 miles down the road to the Bob's Red Mill Visitor's Center & Restaurant for lunch. Tip: try the biscuits! They are amazing!!!

Fun fact:Dave's Killer Bread uses Bob's Red Mill products. The Dave's Killer Bread store is across the street from the Bob's Red Mill Visitor's Center. After you are finished shopping at Bob's - you can shop at Dave's. I know it's do-able because we did it!☺

If you go: tours begin at 10 a.m. sharp Monday-Friday at the World Headquarters. No need to reserve a space, just walk right in. Friendly staff are there to greet you.☺ After the tour, make sure you head over to the Visitor's Center. Shopping + eating galore!!